TBT: 100 Years in America's National Parks

Celebrating its 100th birthday this year, the National Park Service lays claim to the Everglades, Yellowstone, Crater Lake; Alaska's Denali National Park; the Grand Canyon, and its no-less-grand siblings in Arizona. Tauck, a 90-year-old guided tour company, has more than 20 tours that will visit national parks this year. Traveler sat down with Neil Zaer, a Tauck tour director who has been working on national park tours since 1972, to explore how the parks have changed in the last 100 years.

Getty

Mt. Rushmore, 1927

"When I started coming out to [national parks], in 1970 after two years in the army, I would be the only one down there on the trails. You could go a whole hike without seeing anyone."

Ansel Adams / Getty

Grand Tetons, 1941

"National parks are just unique. From rich man or poor man, they're available to everyone to experience and they always have been."

Getty

Grand Canyon, 1946

"I think the joy of national parks is that even though I've been to about 30 parks, I can always think of something else I’d like to do there. I can never see the Grand Canyon enough."

Getty

Bryce Canyon, 1960

"People today are looking to experience national parks in a whole different way. They want activities that bring them more in touch with the parks. People want tours that are more than just visiting lookouts at national parks."

Getty

Zion, 1970

"When I first started at the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service surveyed the average length of stay in the park. In the '70s, it was just a hour and a half, and what they realized was that lots of people were just looking at viewpoints on their way through. Very few were spending the night. But, starting in the 1990s, when people started becoming more physically active, everyone wanted to be there for sunrise or sunset. They wanted to hike the trail rather than just look at the views."

Getty

Grand Canyon, 1980

"What I love most is seeing people experience something for the first time. Even though I've seen the Grand Canyon millions of times, I remember how I felt and experience that same sense of excitement when I see the look of awe on their faces."

Getty

Denali, 1990

"I think, both in a good but not great way, the parks are having to deal more with crowd control because they are now handling hundreds of runners, hikers, and tourists in every park. But they've handled it well. One of the great things they’ve done is implement a free shuttle systems that take visitors from lots into the park, not just to help with noise and air pollution, but also to just get people out of their cars so they can really experience the park."

Getty

Yellowstone, 2011

"My best tip is to do your research. Most parks put out an excellent newspaper that comes in different languages, so regardless of whether or not you speak English, they're a great help. You can access all of the info on trails, the weather, and ranger programs available. And if you're planning to spend more than one day, each park has an institute that offers whole series of programs and trips of their own, to help you get a more in-depth experience."